SAVANNAH

SAVANNAH is a city in Georgia located on Yamacraw Bluff, eighteen miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, above the Savannah River for which it is named. Since the mid-1700s, Savannah has been an important port of call for ships from all over the world.

In January 1733, an expedition of English settlers led by James Edward Oglethorpe sailed to the mouth of the Savannah River, hiking along the river until they found a good site for a new town, and in February 1733, the first immigrants settled in Savannah. The safe port Savannah offered enabled it to quickly increase its importance. In 1776, pressured by American patriots, the English governor James Wright fled Savannah, only to return in 1778, when British troops seized the city. In August 1779, French and American troops tried to retake Savannah, and were badly beaten. But in May 1782, the Savannah royalists negotiated a peaceful surrender to General Anthony Wayne.

Between the American Revolution and the Civil War, Savannah became one of America's jewels, dazzling visitors with its architecture, arts, and international commerce. Late in the Civil War, the city's leaders surrendered to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, who spared Savannah the terrible destruction his troops had wreaked in their notorious march to the sea.

After the Civil War, Savannah's port suffered because many shippers had found alternative ports of call during the conflict. In a dark and difficult period, the city established a system of segregating the black and white races. In 1944, fifty African American students refused to surrender their seats to white passengers, sparking a protest movement in the city. With the civil rights movement of the 1950s came an openness that sparked a revival in the arts. In 1966, Savannah created a 2.2-square-mile historic district; in 1977, it turned its waterfront into a vibrant retail area. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, nearly seven million people a year were visiting Savannah, again regarded as one of America's shining jewels.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Harden, William. A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Atlanta: Cherokee, 1969.

Martin, Harold H. Georgia: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1977.

Savannah. Homepage at http://www.savannahgeorgia.com.

Vedder, O. F. History of Savannah, Ga.: From Its Settlement to the Close of the Eighteenth Century. Syracuse, N.Y.: D. Mason, 1890.

Wills, Charles A. A Historical Album of Georgia. Brookfield, Conn.: Mildbrook, 1996.

Kirk H.Beetz